UFC Fight Night 29's Chris Cariaso not planning to be fodder for Brazilian foe

Despite continuing to run two gyms and tending to family while training for his eighth fight in the UFC, Chris Cariaso said he’s well prepared to turn around a two-fight skid at UFC Fight Night 29.

And anyway, he’ll sleep when he’s dead.

“I’ve been working in the gym business since I was 16,” Cariaso told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “It’s pretty much what I’m used to, training and teaching all the time.”

Cariaso (14-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) meets Iliarde Santos (27-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary card of the event, which takes place tonight at Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Since he’s been in the UFC, he’s added traveling to the list of things he’s always doing. Trips to England, Japan, and Brazil are on his resume, and that’s why he came early for his second trip to the South American country.

“I already knew how I was going to feel coming in,” he said of the 14-hour flight from his home in San Francisco to the Sao Paulo area. “I already knew what to expect once I got here to make sure the weight cut goes alright. That’s the main advantage and I knew what to bring to make sure I was prepared.”

Would he like it if his fights were on home turf? Sure. But he’s happy to be fighting for the world’s biggest fight promotion.

“I just like to fight, whether it’s Brazil or England or Japan,” Cariaso said. “It doesn’t matter. I just like to fight. I definitely would have liked to have come home, but whatever the UFC says, that’s where I’m going.”

On Wednesday, he’ll move into enemy territory as an American fighting in a fiercely nationalistic country. But he’ll be up against an opponent he feels is much better for him stylistically than previous foes.

Of Santos’ 27 wins, 12 are by way of knockout. Of course, the Brazilian also is on a slide, having lost his past two fights. That could prompt him to play it safe, but perhaps he’ll choose to come out swinging.

As long as there’s forward motion, Cariaso said he’ll be happy.

“When the guys sit back and wait, that’s a really annoying fight to fight,” he said. “Fighting a guy that wants to come forward and bang, that’s the kind of fight that I want to put on.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 29, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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